Covering plate

ABSTRACT

A covering plate ( 5 ), for flooring in conveyances such as a railway car, is provided with a securing track ( 11 ) for securing seats, etc. The covering plate ( 5 ) is formed by a sandwich structure having a central core ( 24 ) arranged between an outer plate ( 25 ), which extends across the entire size of the covering plate, and second outer plates ( 26 ). The securing track ( 11 ) is formed in a profile ( 27 ) embedded in the sandwich structure so that a securing track ( 11 ) extends at a right angle to lateral edges ( 14 ) of the covering plate ( 5 ). As either end of the profile is provided with tracks ( 29 ) for receiving tight-fitting pins ( 30 ), a floor structure can be mounted easily and rapidly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a covering plate intended to form,together with a number of likewise formed and adjacent covering plates,a covering structure, which is designed for mounting on a carryingstructure in conveyances, preferably railway cars, wherein the coveringplate is formed by a sandwich structure having a central core, which iscontained between two outer plates, said covering plate comprising:

a side facing the inside of the conveyances,

support members facing the carrying structure of the conveyances, and

at least one securing track formed in a profile in the sandwichstructure and ending at the inwardly oriented side of the carryingplate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention was developed in the context of floor structures forrailway cars and will be particularly suited for this purpose. However,the invention will also be applicable in the context of covering platesfor walls and ceilings when they are provided with securing tracks forsecuring shelves, tables, seats and similar furnishing elements, whichare secured to the carrying structure by the covering plate. Theinvention is not only applicable in combination with railway cars. Thus,the covering plate may also be used in other conveyances for transportby sea, on land and in the air, such as ships, busses and aeroplanes.

Thus, the present invention may be used advantageously in substantiallyany conveyances in which the construction of the conveyances, includingerection of covering plates, has been completed before a mounting of thefurnishing elements is started. The invention may also advantageously beused in conveyances in which the securing tracks are used for securingluggage, cargo and the like, such as in the cargo compartment of anaeroplane.

When a railway car is built, mounting the train frame takes place first.Then the carrying structure and the outside enclosure in the form ofouter walls are mounted. Subsequently the inside covering structure andfurnishings are mounted.

The bottom of the railway car has hitherto been built up by laying railsprovided with the securing tracks for seats. These rails extendthroughout the length of the railway cars. Then the floor plates areplaced between the rails. Thus, via supporting members the floor railsare brought into contact with the carrying structure of the conveyance.The supporting members are provided in the form of vibration-dampeningspacing blocks, which are fastened to the carrying structure and to therails.

This has had the disadvantage that positioning of the rails in a railwaycar has been dependent on the positioning of the fastening members ofthe carrying structure. Thus, it has been impossible to position therails and, consequently, the securing track in a position independent ofthe design of the supporting structure. An example of a floor structurefor a railway car is known e.g. from the description of German patentNo. 3,115,699. Subsequently the actual car bottom is formed after therails have been laid by cutting plates, which are positioned on eitherside of the floor rails.

This mounting is further disadvantageous in that any delays will havesignificant consequences for the total construction time of the railwaycar.

It is the object of the present invention to remedy the disadvantages ofthe known structures and to make it possible in an easy and simplemanner to produce a covering plate, preferably for a floor structuresupplied with a securing track in an optional position relative to thecovering plate and relative to the supporting structure for the coveringplate.

This is achieved according to the present invention by a covering plateof the type mentioned in the introduction being characterised in that afirst one of said outer plates has a size corresponding to the size ofthe covering plate, and a second one of said outer plates is constitutedby a number of plate sections, that the securing track is formed in aprofile, which is cast in a random position in the sandwich structure,that the profile extends at a right angle between two opposed parallellateral edges of the covering plate, which are intended to be placedopposite each other in use, and that at each end of the profile thereare provided positioning members.

When producing the covering plate as a sandwich structure with anenclosed profile it is possible to obtain sufficient strength of thestructure for the profile to be positioned in a random position in thesandwich structure. Thus, it is possible to make a covering plate havinga width that corresponds to the intended use, e.g. the width of arailway car, and having the securing tracks extending transversely.Thus, a number of aligned tracks in separate covering plates will form afloor rail that extends throughout the length of the railway car whenthe covering plates are positioned side by side for the formation of afloor covering. The floor structure formed by a number of coveringplates may be mounted with the first outer plate, facing away from theinside of the craft, in contact with supporting members, e.g.vibration-dampening rubber blocks secured to the supporting structure,irrespective whether said supporting members/rubber blocks are placedunderneath a profile or in a position between the profiles.

Thus, with a covering plate according to the invention it will bepossible in a simple manner to prefabricate the covering plates with theprofiles arranged in a random desired position. This is done simply byamending the fixtures that are used for laying the sandwich structureand which are used for fixing the rails on top of the unbroken outerplate. By amending the positions of the fixtures in the mould theprofile may have a desired position in the transverse direction of thecovering plate. Hereby it is possible to produce covering plates thatwill satisfy different needs, e.g. when using different types ofinventory. This may be the case when in different countries there aredifferent requirements as to the seat width in the railway car or whenthere are different requirements as to the width of luggage racksmounted in a ceiling covering.

A further advantage of the covering plate according to the invention isthat it may be produced beforehand. Owing to this the actual mountingprocess in the railway car may take place very swiftly. This is vital inrespect of the total mounting of a railway car where there must be avery rigid and precise control on the partial mounting by individualtrades. If a single, per se unimportant, mounting operation, e.g. of thefloor covering, is delayed, this will make subsequent mountingoperations impossible or cause considerable delays to them. Mounting ofthe prefabricated covering plates according to the invention is donesimply and rapidly by means of the positioning members provided ateither end of the profile. Thus, no fitting of the covering plates isrequired during the mounting operation.

The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a coveringplate as described above, said method being characterised in that afirst outer plate having a size corresponding to that of the coveringplate is laid in a mould, that a desired number of profiles are laid onsaid outer plate, the positioning members being used for correctpositioning in co-operation with a fixture, that a core material isplaced between the profiles, and that the second outer plate is laidusing a number of plate sections, which are arranged between theprofiles.

As the positioning members in the profile ends co-operate with thefixture of the mould, a fast and exact laying of the profiles in adesired position is obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will now be explained in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawing, which shows a specific embodiment of a coveringplate for use in the manufacture of a floor in a railway car, andwherein

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section view through a railway car, which isarranged with a floor formed by covering plates according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 a plane view to illustrate the railway car floor,

FIG. 3 a partial sectional view, in large scale, through the railway carfloor,

FIG. 4 a partial view of a detail of a covering plate according to theinvention,

FIG. 5 a partial sectional view to illustrate the joint between twocovering plates according to the invention,

FIG. 6 a partial view of a detail of a covering plate according to theinvention,

FIG. 7 a partial sectional view to illustrate a joint between twocovering plates according to the invention, and

FIGS. 8 and 9 partial sectional views to illustrate the joint betweencovering plates according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the different figures of the drawing identical reference numeralshave been used to designate identical or corresponding elements. Anexplanation of all elements will not be given in connection with everysingle figure.

Seen in FIG. 1 is a railway car 1 having a carrying structure in theform of a car body 2. The railway car 1 is provided with inner coveringplates. A ceiling covering plate 3, wall covering plates 4 and a floorcovering plate 5 are shown. Below the covering plate according to theinvention will be explained merely in relation to the floor coveringplate 5. However, a corresponding structure could be used for theceiling covering plate 3 and the wall covering plate 4.

The carrying structure is provided with members 6 for securing coveringplates 3, 4, 5 and other fitting elements, such as luggage racks 7, inthe railway car. The securing members 6 may either be used for a directsecuring or for an indirect securing, e.g. by means ofvibration-dampening spacing blocks 8.

The covering plate 5 has a side 9 that faces the inside 10 of therailway car. A securing track 11 for fastening seats (not shown) ends inthe side 9. Shown in the wall covering plate 4 is a correspondingsecuring track 12, which may be used for fastening seats as well astables. The securing tracks 11 and 12 extend throughout the length ofthe railway car. Alternatively, the securing tracks 11, 12 extendthrough a compartmental section. E.g. this may be the case in railwaycars where several floor levels are used. The vibration-dampeningspacing blocks S are fastened to the covering plate 5 in a manner thatwill be explained later. The spacing blocks 8 are the only connectionbetween the covering plate 5 and the car body 2.

For the sake of completeness it is noted that the car body shown in FIG.1 is intended to be used on a car frame and that the car body 2 may besupplied with fitting elements such as toilet rooms, partitions etc.,such as is known for the building of railway cars.

FIG. 2 shows a plane view of the railway car 1 shown in fig, 1. FIG. 2illustrates the way in which the railway car floor is built up, Thefloor is built up from a number of covering plates 5 each of which isprovided with two securing tacks 11. The securing tracks 11 extendtransversely of a covering plate 5 so that an unbroken securing track 11is formed. The unbroken securing track 11 is placed in a car section 12where the floor is placed in the same level and extends over a length13. The floor covering plates 5 have two opposite and mutually parallellateral edges 14. These are placed in contact with each other. Thelateral edges 14 are placed at a right angle relative to a central line15 through the railway car. The securing tracks 11 are arranged at aright angle to the lateral edges 14 and, thus, are parallel to thecentral line 15.

FIG. 3 shows a partial sectional view in large scale to illustrate therailway car floor at a position corresponding to the lower left cornerof FIG. 1. The car body 2 consists of several profiles. The car body isbuilt from curved wall profiles 16 and rectilinear bottom profiles 17.The bottom profiles 17 are mutually connected by means of engagementmembers 18 so that a support is formed extending across the width of therailway car. The bottom profiles 17 are connected with the wall profiles16 via engagement members 19.

The bottom profiles 17 are provided with fastening members 6, which areformed by two T-shaped ribs 20. The ribs 20 engage with tracks 21 in thespacing block 8. The spacing block 8 is fastened to the floor coveringplate 5 by means of a screw 22, which is driven through the floorcovering plate S and driven into a threaded fastening plate 23, which isembedded in the spacing block 8. The spacing block 8 provides vibrationdampening so as to obtain comfort in the inside 10 of the railway car.

The covering plate 5 is formed by a sandwich structure, which has acentral core 24 contained between two outer plates 25, 26. The firstouter plate 25 faces away form the inside 10 of the railway car and hasa size corresponding to the size of the entire covering plate 5. Thesecond outer plate 26 is constituted by a number of plate sectionspositioned between the securing tracks 11, which end at the inwardlyoriented side 9 of the floor covering plate 5.

Each securing track 11 is formed in a profile 27, which is embedded inthe sandwich structure. The profile 27 extends perpendicularly betweenthe two opposed parallel lateral edges 14 of the floor covering plate,said edges being placed against each other when laying the floor, suchas illustrated in FIG. 2.

The securing track 11 is constituted by a central C-shaped track 28,which is open in upward direction. The track 28 may be used in a mannerknown per se for securing seats and the like. It is seen from FIG. 3that the profile 27 has two tracks 29 at opposite sides. The tracks 29extend along the entire length of the profile 27, the profile beingproduced by extrusion. The outer end sections of the tracks 29 at eitherlateral edge 14 of the floor covering plate 5 form positioning memberscapable of cooperating with tight-fitting pins 30 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).In this manner a correct mutual positioning of subsequent profilesections 27 is ensured so that a rectilinear securing track 11 is formedwhen several floor covering plates 5 are laid side by side.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show and end view of the profile 27, respectively asectional view through a joint between two covering plates 5. It is seenthat the tight-fitting pins 30 are mounted in the ends of the tracks 29and, thus, are simultaneously in contact with two aligned profiles 27.The profile has two substantially parallel opposite sides 31, 32. Thefirst side 31 is positioned on the first outer plate 25, and the secondside 32 is positioned in level with the level of the second outer plates26. The second outer plates are positioned in a recess 33 at the upperside of the profile so that the upper side of the outer plate 26 and theside 32 extend in the same plane.

The profile 27 is provided with outwardly oriented flanges 34. Theflanges 34 ensure that the profile has a large surface for contact withthe outer plates so that the fastening in the sandwich structure occurswith maximum strength. Formed between the flanges 34 there is also aspace 35, which is in connection with the tracks and which ends at thesides of the profiles. Owing to this it is possible to manufacture theprofile 27 by extrusion. In this manner a very exact positioning of thetracks 29 is obtained. This means that the tracks may be used, withoutfurther adaptation, as positioning members to ensure correct alignmentof the securing tracks 11. The tracks 29 also serve to position theprofiles 27 correctly in a mould during the production of the coveringplate since the tracks 29 are able to co-operate with a fixturecontaining positioning pins corresponding to the tight-fitting pins 30.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a joint of a floor covering plate 5 with rails and afloor covering plate 5A without rails. The joint illustrated in FIGS. 6and 7 is a joint at position 36. In such a joint the tight-fitting pin30 mounted in the profile 27 will co-operate with positioning holes inan moulding rail 37, which is mounted in the edge of the adjacent floorcovering plate 5A. In this manner it is possible to ensure that floorcovering plates 5A, which may be used e.g. for finishing a floor or forforming a car section where toilet rooms etc. are placed, are alignedcorrectly relative to the floor covering plates 5, which are providedwith the securing tracks 11.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show partial sectional views to illustrate a joint betweenthe floor covering plates 5 at position 38, respectively 39, in FIG. 2.Thus, a sectional view is shown through the joint of the lateral edges14 at a position between the profiles 27. The floor covering plates 5are provided with U-shaped mouldings 40, which substantially correspondto the moulding 37. Arranged in the space formed between the twoadjacent mouldings 40 there is a lock profile 41, which co-operates withdowels 42 projecting from the bottom of either of the two U-profiles 40.A gap between two lateral edges 14 is sealed with a scaling agent 43 inorder to form an unbroken transition between the outer plates 26.Arranged under the joint between the two floor covering plates 5 thereis a spacing member 8. Across the width of the plate a number of spacingmembers 8 are arranged.

The number of spacing members arranged along a joint or alternativelycentrally under a plate depends on the load that will occur on the floorstructure in the individual section of the railway car 1.

Shown in FIG. 9 is a similar joint near a lateral wall of the railwaycar where spacing blocks 8A are used that have a larger length than thespacing blocks arranged in a central position in the railway car. It isnoted that the length of the spacing blocks may be varied as desired.Consequently, a spacing block 8A having a larger length than the spacingblock 8 is shown.

As appears in particular from FIGS. 1 and 3, the supporting blocks 8 arearranged in a random position, which is not located directly underneaththe profiles 27. As a sandwich structure is used for the formation ofthe floor covering plate 5, it will have such strength that the floorformed may be fastened to the support of the railway car in said randomposition independent of the position of the profiles 27 in the coveringplate 5. This provides much freedom of choice for the positioning of theprofiles 27 in the covering plate independent of the positioning offastening members 6 of the supporting structure. Thus, it will bepossible to use one and the same carrying structure in railway carssupplied to different customers who make different requirements as tothe positioning of the securing tracks 11.

The covering plate 5 according to the invention is very simple tomanufacture. Thus, when forming the sandwich structure, the first outerplate 25 will be laid in a mould. Then a desired number of profiles 27are laid down, the positioning of which in the mould is determined bymeans of a fixture that is displaced along the mould edge and which haspins co-operating the tracks 29 in the profile 27. Afterwards, the corematerial, either in the form of foam or foamed plastic material, isplaced in between the profiles. Then the second outer plates 26 arelaid. Laying second outer plates 26 is facilitated as the recesses 33are used for guiding the outer plates 26 so that they are positionedcorrectly.

In the manufacture of the sandwich structure generally known gluingtechniques are used and the glue used is able to cure at roomtemperature or subject to heating. It will be possible to use differentwell-known techniques, e.g. presses or vacuum moulds, to hold togetherthe individual parts of the sandwich structure.

After the floor covering plates have been formed, there will be atrimming of the lateral edges 14 and possibly the other lateral edges ina finishing machine. Simultaneously a boring of holes may take place forreception of the bolts 22, which are used for fastening the spacingblocks 8. Such boring of the holes may advantageously take placeautomatically on the basis of data stored in the control unit of thefinishing machine. Such data may be based on information on theconditions of load in a car section as well as the positions of thefastening members 6 in the carrying structure of the railway car. Afterthis trimming of edges the floor covering plates 5 will be ready formounting. This mounting of the floor in the railway car may take placevery fast and requires no separate adaptation and planing.

What is claimed is:
 1. A covering structure for conveyances comprising acarrier, plural covering plates for mounting on the carrier in theconveyances, each covering plate comprising two outer plates and acentral core contained between the outer plates to form a sandwichstructure, a side of the covering for plate facing the inside of theconveyance, support members facing the carrier, a first one of saidouter plates having a size corresponding to a size of the coveringplate, and a second one of said outer plates having plural platesections, at least one securing track formed in a profile embedded in arandom position in the sandwich structure and ending at an inwardlyoriented side of the covering plate, positioning members at each end ofthe profile, wherein the profile extends at a right angle between twoopposed parallel lateral edges of the covering plate, which are oppositeeach other in use.
 2. The covering plate of claim 1, wherein the profilehas two substantially parallel opposite sides, and one side of theprofile being positioned on a first outer plate and a second side beingpositioned in a level substantially corresponding to a level of a secondouter plate.
 3. The covering plate of claim 2, further comprisingflanges on the two opposed sides of the profile, wherein the outerplates rest on the flanges.
 4. The covering plate of claim 3, furthercomprising recesses on the flanges for facing an inside of theconveyance for receiving edge areas of the outer plates facing theinside of the conveyances.
 5. The covering plate of claim 4, wherein thepositioning members are undercut open tracks at a third and a fourthside of the profile, wherein the positioning members are positionedbetween the opposite sides of the profile, and wherein the tracksreceive tight-fitting pins in either end.
 6. The covering plate of claim5, wherein the positioning members are circular tracks being open via aslit for securing the profile.
 7. The covering plate of claim 1, whereinthe profile is an extruded aluminum profile.
 8. The covering plate ofclaim 6, wherein the circular tracks are substantially C-shaped tracks.9. The covering plate of claim 1, wherein the conveyances are railwaycars.
 10. A method for manufacturing a covering plate comprising, layinga first outer plate having a size corresponding to that of the coveringplates in a mould, providing at least one securing track on the firstouter plate; laying a desired number of profiles on the first outerplate and forming a sandwich structure, providing positioning members onthe profiles for correctly positioning in co-operation with a fixture,placing a core material between the profiles, and laying a second outerplate using a number of plate sections arranged between the profiles.11. The method of claim 10, wherein laying the plate sections for thesecond outer plate is guided by recesses in the profile.